wildfire

[ wahyld-fahyuhr ]

/ ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər /

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noun

a highly flammable composition, as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.

any large fire that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.

sheet lightning, unaccompanied by thunder.

the ignis fatuus or a similar light.

Plant Pathology. a disease of tobacco and soybeans, characterized by brown, necrotic spots, each surrounded by a yellow band, on the leaves and caused by a bacterium, Pseudomonas tabaci.

Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of wildfire

before 1000; Middle English wildefire,Old English wildfȳr.See wild, fire

Words nearby wildfire

Wilderness Road, Wilder, Thornton, wild-eyed, wild fennel, wild fig, wildfire, wildflower, wildfowl, Wild Geese, wild geranium, wild ginger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use wildfire in a sentence

When natural drought conditions already exist, in such places as Colorado, physiological drought can increase the risk of wildfires by making plants more prone to ignition.
Fish blood could hold the answer to safer de-icing solutions during snowstorms|By Monika Bleszynski/The Conversation|February 1, 2021|Popular-Science
Residents, fire commanders, and political leaders must switch from a mindset of preventing or controlling wildfire to learning to live with it.
What the complex math of fire modeling tells us about the future of California’s forests|Amy Nordrum|January 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review
It’s possible that 2020’s temperatures in some areas might have been even higher if not for massive wildfires.
2020 and 2016 tie for the hottest years on record|Carolyn Gramling|January 14, 2021|Science News
The question, of course, is why SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19, continues to spread like wildfire when so many other viruses have been crushed.
Coronavirus shutdowns have quashed nearly all other common viruses. But scientists say a rebound is coming.|Dan Hurley|January 12, 2021|Washington Post

Western states repeatedly broke records for their largest wildfires on record.
After a record 22 billion-dollar disasters in 2020, US disaster policy needs reform|Deb Niemeier|January 8, 2021|Quartz
Besides, victory fever had spread like wildfire throughout the Allied armies.
Hitler’s Hail Mary|James A. Warren|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anti-Korean books, magazines, and comic books are selling like wildfire.
For Top Pols In Japan Crime Doesn’t Pay, But Hate Crime Does|Jake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was late October, six weeks after the initial outbreak, and the virus was rumored to be spreading like wildfire.
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The dish “took off like wildfire,” says Leong, despite there being virtually no Chinese people in the area.
‘The Search for General Tso’: The Origins of America’s Favorite Chinese Dish, General Tso’s Chicken|Marlow Stern|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That kind of social sorting allows for larger outbreaks by “seeding a much larger wildfire,” he said.
A Fully Vaccinated Woman Contracted and Then Spread Measles. WTF?|Elizabeth Lopatto|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suppose that Dunsey came home the night he staked Wildfire, recite the conversation between him and Godfrey.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
The news had spread like wildfire to the studies, and the other boys came flocking in during the uproar, to join in it heartily.
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar
"Chinese labour," yelled a voice, and across the square swept a wildfire of booting and bawling.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells
The taste enkindled by wine, was soon fed with brandy, and spread among the native bands like a wildfire.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
The story that Reynolds Bartram had "stood up for prayers" went through Bruceton and the surrounding country like wildfire.
All He Knew|John Habberton

British Dictionary definitions for wildfire

wildfire

/ (ˈwaɪldˌfaɪə) /

noun

a highly flammable material, such as Greek fire, formerly used in warfare

a raging and uncontrollable fire
anything that is disseminated quickly (esp in the phrase spread like wildfire)

lightning without audible thunder

another name for will-o'-the-wisp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wildfire

wildfire

see spread like wildfire.

wildfire

Origin of wildfire

Words nearby wildfire

Words related to wildfire

How to use wildfire in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wildfire

Other Idioms and Phrases with wildfire